2011 USC Trojans Football Preview

The USC Trojans haven’t even begun to play football in the 2012 season – the season is still three full months away, in fact – but a winter of discontent has already set in for this longtime college football power.

On Wednesday, USC’s appeal of 2010 punishments levied by the NCAA was denied in an NCAA committee hearing. The Trojans’ severe penalties, which dwarf anything other schools have received over the past few years, were not reduced. The bowl ban for 2011 is still in place. Scholarship cuts were not repealed. The team is ineligible for the Pac-12 South Division title, as the fallout from the disastrous tenure of former Athletic Director Mike Garrett continues to be felt. The Trojans won’t stay down forever, but Wednesday’s ruling does ensure that 2011 will lack a postseason for the Men of Troy. It also means that USC won’t compete for national titles until 2014 at the earliest, and quite likely a few years later.

 When a program has such a high level of history and success, championships are expected. This is why USC has already been dealt a devastating blow by the NCAA.

On the field, the 2010 campaign was an intriguing one in Southern California. The offense could score with the best in the county. The defense, on the other hand, was overmatched in a manner that did not mesh with USC’s high standard of performance.

In 2011, the off-field storm clouds are likely to persist in a land accustomed to sunshine. Even if USC proves to be good on the field, it won’t be able to claim a division title and play in the first Pac-12 Championship Game. Yet, with that having been said, one should acknowledge this much: Quarterback Matt Barkley may be ready for a breakout year. The talented two-year starter, who is entering his junior season, has a prolific receiver to play pitch-and-catch with. Robert Woods has all the talent in the world and looked terrific in the spring. USC will have terrific depth at running back as well. The offensive line will be the big question on the offense. A patchwork line caused some frustration during spring ball and will need to shore up its deficiencies before the season begins. It is tough to judge USC on its spring performance alone; the Trojans have just 26 scholarship upperclassmen thanks to last year’s NCAA sanctions, just upheld on Wednesday. There are 35 players who did not participate in spring ball who will be competing for playing time during the fall. Forty-nine players are in their first or second year at the program – that’s an alarming number. In all, seven starters return on both sides of the ball for USC.

Knowing that the Trojans will not be able to play in a bowl game creates an interesting conundrum for coaches and players in regard to motivation. Last-minute losses to Washington, Notre Dame, and Stanford in 2010 still weigh on the minds of Trojan players and coaches. USC plays 12 BCS opponents in 2011, beginning with a three- game homestand against Minnesota, Utah and Syracuse to open the season. The Trojans also get Stanford at home during the final week of October. Trips to Oregon and Arizona State will test the Trojans.

Test or no test, however, it’s not as though USC can parlay passing grades into a postseason appearance. Such is life after Wednesday’s defeat at the hands of the NCAA.

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